Baron & Budd, P.C. Files Suit to Stop Sale of EDS to Hewlett-Packard; Trust Fund Client Alleges Terms Are Unfair to EDS Shareholders

DALLAS, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas-based law firm Baron & Budd, P.C. has filed suit on behalf of plaintiff client, the Intermountain Ironworkers Trust Fund (IITF), to stop the sale of Electronic Data Systems to Hewlett-Packard Corp. , alleging that the terms of the sale agreement are unfair to EDS shareholders.

The proposed sale agreement, which has not been approved by EDS shareholders, locks the price for EDS stock at $25 per share, prohibits EDS directors from seeking a higher price from alternative bidders and guarantees Hewlett-Packard a $375 million pay-off if EDS does not go through with the sale. On behalf of all EDS's public shareholders, the IITF plaintiffs allege that, by entering the agreement, EDS directors breached their fiduciary duties to the company's shareholders.

"This deal leaves EDS shareholders out in the cold," said Russell Budd, managing shareholder of Baron & Budd. "They had no say in the transaction, and the company directors who are charged with protecting their interests looked the other way."

This case is not Baron & Budd's first fight to protect shareholder interests in corporate transactions. As co-lead counsel in In re 7-Eleven, Inc. Shareholders Litigation, Baron & Budd successfully increased the tender offer's price per share in the 2005 transaction that transformed the convenience store operator from a publicly traded company to a privately held entity, resulting in a substantial increase in the amount paid to 7-Eleven shareholders.

Baron & Budd attorneys Bruce Steckler and Burton LeBlanc will head up the law firm's efforts on behalf of the plaintiffs, along with co-counsel Randy Pulliam of Cauley, Bowman, Carney & Williams, P.L.L.C. of Little Rock Arkansas. The case is pending in district court in Collin County, Texas.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

Since 1977, the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has championed the rights of people and communities harmed by corporate misconduct. With 49 attorneys and offices in Texas, California and Louisiana, Baron & Budd enjoys a national reputation as a leader of the plaintiffs' bar. The firm represents individuals with mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos; leukemia caused by benzene; injuries caused by other toxic substances and unsafe pharmaceuticals; water authorities seeking clean-up costs for drinking water contamination; securities investors defrauded by corporate wrongdoing; and consumers in class actions.

http://www.baronandbudd.com/ Contact: Susan Knape of Baron & Budd, P.C. 214-523-6226